Yearly Archives: 2012

Flashpoint

Flashpoint’s final season now premieres Sept 20 on CTV

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From a media release:

The Final Season: Trailblazing Series FLASHPOINT Goes Out With a Bang, Beginning Sept. 20 on CTV

  • Hosted by Ben Mulroney and co-host Hugh Dillon, ETALK celebrates final season with half-hour FLASHPOINT special, airing Sept. 16

The final scene has been shot. Episode #75 is in the can. And the set for the SRU – Strategic Response Unit – Headquarters has officially closed up shop. Now, it’s time to celebrate the final season of Canada’s trailblazing series, FLASHPOINT. With production wrapped this summer on 13 action-packed episodes, the fifth and final season will premiere Thursday, Sept. 20 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV. The drama reaches a fevered pitch in the shocking series finale – one that changes Team One forever and will go down as the most action-packed Canadian television episode in recent memory (broadcast info TBD).

Viewers can catch up on full episodes of FLASHPOINT across CTV’s digital platforms following its television broadcast on CTV.ca, the CTV App, the CTV Mobile channel on Bell Mobile TV, and through video on demand partners, such as Bell Fibe TV.

Leading up to the premiere, ETALK kicks-off the final season celebration with a special half-hour preview, ETALK PRESENTS: FLASHPOINT, airing Sunday, Sept. 16 at 5:30 p.m. ET/PT on CTV. Hosted by Ben Mulroney alongside co-host Hugh Dillon, the special provides a sneak peek of the new season and takes a look back at the past four seasons.

In Season 5, Team One faces its toughest challenges yet, ones that make its members wrestle with the very reasons they chose their paths as police officers. They question what they’ve always taken for granted – the peace they protect and the justice it is meant to bring.

In the premiere episode “Broken Peace” (Sept. 20), Team One tears through the city in pursuit of James Mitchell (guest star Ty Olson, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1), an armed and volatile man hunting for his ex-wife Michelle (Lisa Houle, EMILY OF NEW MOON). James’ frantic daughter May (Brooke Palsson, LESS THAN KIND) fills the team in on the history of violence and abuse that she and her mother have escaped. As the team corners James on a hotel rooftop, a shocking turn forces Ed into taking a shot he wasn’t prepared for.

Originally developed by CTV, a pilot for FLASHPOINT (then called SNIPER) was shot in 2007. In January, 2008, CBS joined on as broadcast partner before the series began principal photography in the spring of 2008. FLASHPOINT premiered on July 11, 2008 on CTV and CBS, with 1.13 million viewers in Canada, and 8.72 million viewers in the U.S. FLASHPOINT was the fist Canadian series since DUE SOUTH to air in network primetime in both Canada and the United States, leading the way for several other Canadian series to head south of the border and air on U.S. networks.

Over the next four seasons, FLASHPOINT went on to become a sure-fire hit, with the most recent season averaging 1.51 million viewers both in and out of simulcast. FLASHPOINT has been nominated 80 times for numerous awards, including the Gemini Awards, Directors Guild of Canada Awards, Writers Guild of Canada Awards, ACTRA and PRISM. The series has won 11 Gemini Awards, including Best Dramatic Series, Best Writing in a Dramatic Series (Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern), Best Direction in a Dramatic Series (Kelly Makin), Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role (Enrico Colantoni), and Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series (Sergio Di Zio).

In addition to ION Television in the U.S., FLASHPOINT is also licensed in more than 100 territories worldwide, including RTL2 in Germany, Canal Plus in France and Veronica in the Netherlands.

Returning for Season 5 are viewer favourites Hugh Dillon (DURHAM COUNTY) as Ed Lane, team leader and lead sniper; Enrico Colantoni (VERONICA MARS) as Gregory Parker, the team sergeant and head negotiator; Amy Jo Johnson (FELICITY) as Julianna “Jules” Callaghan, secondary negotiator and rappelling expert; David Paetkau (WHISTLER) as Sam Braddock, the young hot-shot sniper on the team; and Sergio Di Zio (JUST BURIED) as Mike “Spike” Scarlatti, explosives and tactical toys expert. Olunike Adeliyi re-joins the Strategic Response Unit (SRU) as officer Leah Kerns.

FLASHPOINT is produced by Pink Sky Entertainment and Avamar Entertainment in association with CTV and ION Television. Anne Marie La Traverse and Bill Mustos serve as executive producers. Co-creators/executive producers Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern helm the writing department. Trish Williams and Gosia Kamela are the CTV Production Executives working with the series. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks. Phil King is President, CTV Programming and Sports. Vera and Tele Munchen are the international distributors.

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Awards

Canadian Screen Awards to honour film, TV and digital

From a media release:

Academy launches new Canadian Screen Awards

  • 2-Hour Prime Time Live Broadcast Sunday March 3, 2013 @ 8pm on CBC

Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (ACCT) is pleased to announce its new CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS that recognize excellence in film, television and digital media productions.

“The CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS are a true reflection of the multi-platform universe of today,” says Academy Chair Martin Katz. “News, sports and entertainment now come to us on screens of many sizes, with more to come. Through the CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS, the Academy will celebrate our talent and our productions with our industry and the Canadian public in one major national CBC broadcast,” adds Katz.

Academy CEO Helga Stephenson says the new CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS are a direct result of industry demand. “The industry has been asking for this change for some time. We opened up the conversation with our Members and other participating groups, consulted a report on the Academy prepared by the Schulich School of Business at York University and spoke with our broadcast and funding partners. As a result, the Board of Directors made the decision to merge the shows and a new chapter in the Academy’s history began,” says Stephenson.

Continue reading Canadian Screen Awards to honour film, TV and digital →

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Podcast

TV, eh? podcast episode 101 – Dr. Sexy Werewolf Border Guard

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BST-HEADER-4

Anthony and Diane are back with a smattering of Canadian TV news and an interview with writer/producer Mark De Angelis of Bill and Sons Towing.

Episode 101: Listen or download here or subscribe via iTunes or with any other program via the TV, Eh? feed.

Your hosts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Over the Rainbow reveals judging panel

LOUISE PITRE PHOTO

From a media release:

CBC’S OVER THE RAINBOW REVEALS ITS JUDGING PANEL OF THEATRICAL LUMINARIES

  • Arlene Phillips, Thom Allison and Louise Pitre (pictured) will help guide Canada to choose a Dorothy to star in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new Canadian production of The Wizard of Oz

Who’s off to see the Wizard? Arlene Phillips, Thom Allison and Louise Pitre are, as CBC Television reveals its panel of renowned judges for its exciting new series, OVER THE RAINBOW. The talented trio will help Canada decide the fate of 10 Dorothy Gales, with Canada ultimately picking one to star in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new Canadian stage production of The Wizard of Oz. It opens at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto this December.

Dance choreographer and director Arlene Phillips is one of the UK’s most recognizable TV judges. Her celebrated career includes being a member of the original panel for Strictly Come Dancing and stints on prime time entertainment shows, including So You Think You Can Dance, DanceX and Strictly Dance Fever. On top of working in a number of world-famous theatre, film, television productions and music videos, she’s also sat in the director’s chair for productions including Strictly Come Dancing The Live Tour, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance.

Winnipeg born Thom Allison is one of Canada’s most popular leading men. He has been a mainstay at the Stratford Festival, having appeared in productions of Romeo and Juliet, Pericles, My Fair Lady, Threepenny Opera, The King and I, King Henry VIII and the Stratford Festival production of Into the Woods. Allison is a multi-award nominated performer of musical theatre, having been in the original Canadian companies of Miss Saigon, The Who’s Tommy and Rent. Following a yearlong run of his Broadway debut in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, he has received rave reviews for his current starring role as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Ragtime at the Shaw Festival.

Louise Pitre is Canada’s first lady of musical theatre, boasting a career that spans theatre, television and concert stages across North America and Europe. Pitre received a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut in the smash hit Mamma Mia! and in addition to headlining the Toronto, Broadway and U.S. touring company casts of Mamma Mia!, her signature roles include Fantine in Les Misérables (Toronto, Montreal, Paris) and the title character in Edith Piaf.

OVER THE RAINBOW, hosted by Daryn Jones, is an exciting new series coming this fall to CBC, produced by Temple Street Productions. The winner will star in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new production of The Wizard of Oz, opening at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto this December.

The series will kick-off with a two-hour premiere on Sunday, September 16 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT). The first episode chronicles the cross-Canada audition process with girls competing to play the iconic role of Dorothy, as well, the Top 10 will be revealed and viewers will see them perform live for the first time.

In each live performance show the 10 Dorothys will compete, singing a mixture of Broadway, standards and pop songs. The first results show airs on Monday, September 17 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) where the bottom two, (as determined by a telephone and online public vote) will faceoff and one contestant will be saved from elimination by the judges.

One contestant will be eliminated each week until only three remain in the final performance episode. The competition will culminate in a showdown between the final three, with Andrew Lloyd Webber himself in attendance, and Canada choosing the winner.

In addition, there will be a search for a dog to play the role of Toto in the finale episode of OVER THE RAINBOW. The hilarious duo, comedians Deb McGrath of Little Mosque on the Prairie and Colin Mochrie, star of the summer series, Trust Us With Your Life along with award-winning dog breeder, Mike Macbeth, form the judging panel that will help to select the 10 most lovable contenders. After being featured on Monday night results episodes, there will be a weekly elimination until the winning Toto is adorned with the coveted red ruby collar, performing live on stage with the Dorothy finalists.

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Continuum

Continuum renewed for season 2

From a media release:

SHOWCASE’S CONTINUUM CONTINUES. SUMMER’S #1 SPECIALTY SERIES RECEIVES SEASON TWO ORDER

Showcase announces the renewal of its #1 series that swept the nation this summer, Continuum. The phenomenally successful series will begin production on its 13 episode season two order in 2013.

Continuum debuted on Showcase to an audience of over 1 million viewers (2+), shattering all previous premiere records on the network, making it the #1 specialty series of the summer. Boosting Showcase’s viewership by indexing 117% for A25-54 and 123% for A18-49 versus last summer, Continuum averaged #1 on Sundays, dominating its timeslot (9p-10p) across all key demos. The epic first season concluded with the most-watched finale in Showcase history.*

In the season finale titled ”Endtimes,” Kiera raced against the clock trying to prevent a Liber8 bombing, which ultimately killed hundreds of innocent people. The shocking twist led to an explosive finale leaving many lingering questions. In the search for answers, fans continue to flock to the Continuum social networks to sound off. Since the premiere, there have been over one million page views at showcase.ca/continuum, making it the most visited show site of all time, and averaged over 10,000 Get Glue check-ins per new episode. Boasting over 630,000 video views, fans can catch up on the entire first season of Continuum at showcase.ca/video.**

Continuum is a one-hour police drama centered on Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols), a cop from the year 2077 who finds herself trapped in present day Vancouver, searching for convicted criminals from the future, known as Liber8. With unexpected assistance from teen tech genius Alec Sadler (Erik Knudsen), Kiera concentrates on bringing down the terrorists before they can change the course of history forever. Impersonating a local law enforcement officer to expedite her investigation, she forms an uneasy alliance with her new partner, detective Carlos Fonnegra (Victor Webster).

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